July 20, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Luke Donald, a senior-to-be at Northwestern, fired a 1-over par 73 in first-round action at the British Open Thursday.
Playing in ideal conditions on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland -- the "home of golf" -- Donald placed himself six shots out of the lead. After the first round ended later in the day, Ernie Els held the lead at 6-under par.
Donald is the 1999 NCAA champion and finished this past year as the top-rated golfer in the MasterCard Collegiate Rankings.
Donald will tee off Friday at 9:40 a.m. Central time along with Mark McNulty (-3) and Jean-Francois Remesy (-2).